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WASHINGTON, DC, US, November 1, 2006 (Refocus
Weekly)
The wind energy industry in the United States is
expected to install a record 2,750 MW of generating capacity this
year, according to latest data from the American Wind Energy
Association.
That new capacity will produce as much electricity as the
consumption by the entire state of Rhode Island, and will strengthen
energy security in the U.S., adds AWEA. Domestic windfarms currently
save half a billion cubic feet of natural gas each day and reduce
the supply pressure that is driving up natural gas imports.
“To strengthen our energy independence, we need safe, domestic and
inexhaustible energy, and wind power provides just that,” says
Randall Swisher of AWEA. “The U.S. wind energy industry is working
all-out to meet current demand for new windfarms but the nation
needs a timely and long-term extension of the wind energy production
tax credit to allow companies to plan beyond 2007 and continue to
build a strong and secure energy future.”
The federal production tax credit was extended for two years in the
Energy Policy Act but will expire in December 2007. Intermittent,
short-term extensions of the tax credit create boom-and-bust cycles
that hobble the industry, the group explains.
The U.S. industry has already completed the installation of 1,345 MW
this year, bringing total installed wind capacity to 10,492 MW,
while construction continues on another 1,500 MW to be completed
this year. AWEA had previously estimated that 3,000 MW would be
installed this year, but some projects will not be finalized until
next year because of various delays.
For next year, AWEA estimates that installations will exceed 2006
and range from 3,000 MW to 3,500 MW.
One of the windfarms completed in the current quarter is FPL
Energy’s 735 MW Horse Hollow facility in Texas, which has set new
records for the country’s and world’s largest windfarm. One megawatt
of wind power generates electricity for 250 to 300 homes.
“Every megawatt-hour of domestic, inexhaustible wind energy from our
heartland is a megawatt-hour that doesn’t burn fuel and that
strengthens our energy security, protects our environment, and
creates good jobs,” says Swisher. Recent polls show energy
independence is the top national security issue.
Wind is expected to provide 18% to 20% of the new capacity installed
this year in the U.S., making it the second-largest source of new
generation after natural gas, according to the Energy Information
Administration.
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